“They’re going to run me all over the track”: Ross Chastain reviews the ‘risky’ overtake on Aric Almirola to win NASCAR’s Nashville race

Ross Chastain scored his first win of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season at the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday. The Trackhouse Racing driver ended his recent slump by converting his maiden pole position into victory.

The win didn't come easily as Chastain had to fend off Martin Truex Jr., who was chasing him in the final stint of the race. With Truex Jr. gaining time, the #1 Trackhouse Racing driver also had to navigate the endless lapped traffic. On one occasion, he did it in style, threading the needle between risk and reward.

Aric Almirola and JJ Yeley were fiercely battling for position when Ross Chastain and Truex Jr. caught up with them. With neither of the two lapped drivers letting the leaders pass, Chastain throttled his car as a gap opened up between #10 and #51 cars.

Speaking about the incident, Chastain said in a post-race conversation with NBC:

"Aric [Almirola] and his man upstairs on the spotter stand, they got it out for me and they are open about it. When we come up to lap them at Dover and here it's like they're going to run me all over the track."

"I took a risky move, I thought that it was very high risk but it was worth the reward to get that clean air. So I had been very patient behind Aric, trying to outwrap him or trying to roll around him," he added.

The move showed that Ross Chastain's instincts are still as sharp as ever. Given how important clean air was, he went for the gap as soon as it appeared. Chastain said:

"When I saw them side by side, I thought if the middle opens I'm... and it opened right as I was thinking and I thought 'Just get there' and Aric gave it to me, he was nice enough to do it."

The crucial overtake helped him keep the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing driver at bay to win the race.

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Ross Chastain silences his critics with the win at Nashville

At the start of the 2023 season, Ross Chastain and Trackhouse Racing picked up from where they left off last season. The #1 driver was consistently winning stages and also led the drivers' standings in the early part of the season.

However, his early season exploits were overshadowed by multiple wrecks and aggressive driving. This was followed by a slump, as the team couldn't continue its strong run.

However, Chastain put his season back on track in Nashville, securing the much-needed win.

"I got to tell you, a lot of self-reflection through all this, but I had a group that believed in me and they didn't let me get down. And they bring rocket ships, and I just try to point them to victory lane," he said.

Ross Chastain is currently third in the drivers' standings, 18 points behind leader Martin Truex Jr.